TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

As volunteers who search for missing children, we encounter many horrible circumstances and are sometimes on cases for weeks, months and even years. We are there from the beginning many times helping on physical searches, then poster distribution, maintaining social networking pages for missing children and collecting data for mass email information distribution. Our work is vitally important to the safe return of many children, we work with investigators and family members and use all resources at our disposal to find a missing child. Our work is very rewarding, but often emotionally draining. We do not typically have the same resilience skills that seasoned law enforcement personnel do that would allow us to better do our jobs and better balance our personal lives.


The University of Maine at Augusta has designed a training program that focuses on resilience. You can find additional information about their programs here, which is also linked to my Resources page. They have also designed a program specifically for volunteers who search for missing children. This training will include resilience skills, coping mechanisms and peer coaching techniques. The course will be offered online and can be taken independently as part of a larger focus group of 20 students or more. The cost is $240.00 per student and includes tuition, online course, all materials, and support from instructor(s).


The course materials will include the following:


- Copy of "Duct Tape Isn't Enough" by Dr. Ron Breazeale
- Copy of DVD's "Daily Heroes" Vol. 1 & 2
- Copy of DVD with Dr. Breazeale walking participants through Modules 1-6 of the book
- Access to the UMA on-line course


At the conclusion of the course, which will typically take 8 to 10 weeks but is self-paced, the Maine Resilience Group will certify the participants who have successfully completed the program as Trainers for the Resilience Program. This will allow participants to go back to their local communities and teach the skills they have learned to other individuals and groups.


Participants will also have access to the Maine Resilience website in order to exchange information and be kept up-to-date on materials available for training.


This training is being offered courtesy of Dr. Richard Lumb, Education and Professional Development Consultant, and Candace Wells, Office of Professional Development for the University of Maine at Augusta.


If you are interested in this training, please contact me to discuss it further:


spearson.allbusiness@gmail.com